Difference between revisions of "FAQ"
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
This is very much a long-term work in progress. | This is very much a long-term work in progress. | ||
| − | A copy of the original CitznFish FAQ is | + | A copy of the original 2003 CitznFish FAQ is available on the Internet Wayback Machine. [http://web.archive.org/web/20081006130304/http://www.arcade-at-home.com/mame_faq.html] |
= Cabinet Basics = | = Cabinet Basics = | ||
Revision as of 23:53, 5 December 2013
This is very much a long-term work in progress.
A copy of the original 2003 CitznFish FAQ is available on the Internet Wayback Machine. [1]
Contents
Cabinet Basics
Types of cabs
Standing
regular
cabaret
low-boy
pedestal
showcase
Seated
candy
cocktail
cockpit
ride-on
Small
mini
bartop
micro
Parts of a cab (diagram)
-- Marquee, retainers, light
-- Speakers
-- Control panel (CP), latches, overlay, player buttons, admin buttons (Coin, Start, Exit, Pause, etc.)
-- Kick panel
-- Coin door
-- Sideart (vinyl, stencil)
-- Power supply
-- Game board/MAME computer
-- Wiring harness
-- Smart strip
-- Leveling feet/casters
-- T-molding
What type of build meets my needs? (flowchart?)
-- Start by considering where you want to put/use the cab (measure doorways and available space)
-- Make a list of games you want to play, consider the number of simultaneous players you want to support, and select the computer you want/need to use.
-- That will lead you to what emulators and other software like front ends (MaLa, Hyperspin, etc.) you want/need.
-- From there, you can figure out what kind of controls (Joysticks, player buttons, admin buttons, spinner, trackball, gamepads?) you'll need to work with the games and emulators you want.
-- That leads to chosing the right encoder(s).
-- Browse for artwork/themes/design cues to use in the following steps.
-- Arrange the controls on the control panel. (CP) Cardboard test panel highly encouraged.
-- Select a monitor.
-- Design the rest of the cab around the monitor and CP.
-- Should I build a four player setup?
-- Regular vs. swappable vs. modular panels
-- What controls should I include?
What is the difference between an original arcade cab and a MAME cab?
What is JAMMA/JAMMA+?
JAMMA is a wiring standard developed in 1985 by Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association, Inc.
It allows you to easily change between JAMMA compatible game boards without re-wiring the cabinet.
The JAMMA standard uses a 56-pin edge connector on the board with inputs and outputs common to most video games.
These include:
- Power inputs (5v and 12v)
- Inputs for two players (each player has a joystick, three action buttons and one start button)
- Analog RGB video output with negative composite sync
- Mono sound output
- Inputs for coin, service, test, and tilt
JAMMA Games that have more than 3 action buttons, more than 2 players, or different control types use the JAMMA+ standard.
What type of wood to use?
MDF
Plywood
MDO
What tools do I need?
-- Drill
-- Forstner bits, spade bits, holesaw
-- Jigsaw
-- Circular saw / sawboard
-- Tablesaw
-- Router
-- Dremel
-- L-square
Controls
Joysticks
-- 2/4/8-way
-- switchable, auto-switch
-- Analog
-- 49-way
Buttons
-- 3 terminal buttons (NO, NC, COM)
-- 2 terminal buttons
-- Leaf buttons
Trackballs
Spinners
Other specialized controls
Yokes, steering wheels, trigger stick, rotary joysticks, light guns, etc.
USB gamepads/controllers
Mounting options
-- Mounting plate
-- Top-mount
-- Under-mount
-- Carriage bolts
-- Threaded inserts
-- Support blocks
Encoders
What is an encoder?
What ports do they use?
USB
PS/2
What type of encoder(s) do I need?
(keyboard, gamepad, optical, combination/hybrid?)
How many encoder inputs do I need for my control panel?
Basic wiring
Quick disconnect sizes
Most microswitches use 0.187" QDs. (4.8 mm)
Some use 0.250" QDs. (6 mm)
Most two tab buttons (Sanwa, Seimitsu, Goldleaf, etc.) and leaf switches use 0.110" QDs. (2.8 mm)
Soldering
Commonly used AWG sizes
LED Lighting
Single color buttons
RGB buttons
LED controllers
Displays (Arcade CRT/Computer CRT/LCD/LED)
Differences: pros/cons
Types of connections
(composite, component, arcade, VGA, DVI, HDMI)
Input lag (Not response time)
Software
Emulators
(MAME, console emulators, pinball, flash games)
What is an emulator?
A software program that duplicates the hardware, firmware/software, and gameplay of an older game system.
What is a ROM?
For the original games - Read Only Memory chip(s) on the game board/cartridge that holds the program code for a game/game system. For emulators - .ZIP file(s) containing a dump of the game/game system code.
What are the different "flavors" of MAME?
MAME - The command line program that the other variants are based on. MAME32, MAMEUI, or MAMEUIFX - Graphic User Interface (GUI) versions of MAME.
Why won't this ROM work with the newer version of that emulator?
The game may not be fully functional yet. (Encryption issues, driver problems, incomplete ROM dumps, etc.) There may be a more accurate "dump" of that game's ROM used by the newer emulator -- emulator and ROM versions must be compatible. You may also need other driver files or a .CHD (Compressed Hunks of Data) hard drive image.
How can I tell if my ROMs and emulator are compatible?
Use your emulator's "Audit" function to check the ROMs.
Front end
Other useful software
(Joy2key, DrVenture's controller remap?, AHK?, mrotate?)
Forum tips for asking questions that get good/faster answers:
- Search first, somebody else has probably encountered this problem before -- don't ask people to retype the same old answers to the same old questions.
- Take your time editing the post so it is specific, clear, and easy to read.
- Whenever possible, include decent pics/screencaps/diagrams.
- Include software/OS versions if applicable.
- Include your location when asking about parts/vendors or electrical wiring. (different countries use different wire colors and/or voltages)
